The Ungrateful Dead
by LitLover 101
Summary: Another Thanksgiving at the Boarding School with ghost-turkeys staging kidnappings of dinner, corn stalking toward the gate, Puritans, Powhatans, and Pilgrims appear, without RSVPing. Lizzie's and Sebastian's holiday is ruined. The Super Squad is there to help, if they could stop fighting over whose with who and worry about where the cranberry sauce is slithering off to.


**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**Legacies**_** it belongs to Warner Brothers, Julie Plec and the usual suspects…**

**Hello, my lovely readers. It's the **_**Legacies**_** Thanksgiving Special! On with the show…**

_**The Ungrateful Dead:**_

Thanksgiving Day. One of Lizzie Saltzman's favorite holidays was Thanksgiving. And this year she had a lot to be grateful for. New boyfriend. Check. Super-cool, BFF she forgot about. Check. Renewed bond with her twin. Check. Honestly, Lizzie felt like the only things that were missing were her parents… And possibly the cranberry sauce… Yes, this Thanksgiving would be one that Lizzie felt sure she would remember for many years to come.

"Okay." Lizzie clapped her hands together. "Everyone has their assignments?" she inquired, beaming at her friends who were already in the kitchen. She would happily scold those who had yet to obey her commands; once they arrived.

"Yes," Hope Mikaelson's eyes went from her assignment to the oven. "You really want to leave me in charge of the turkey?" Her brows went upward and her lips made that little, not-quite-a-smile look while her eyes shone with mischief.

"Ye-es," Lizzie glanced at Jo. Josie Saltzman kept her clipboard close to her face. Lizzie pointed her ballpoint pen at her twin. "'Cause someone dropped the turkey, that one time…"

Jo's head went up and her mouth dropped open. "That was five years ago!" she complained. "I had no idea how heavy the thing was until someone," she sent Lizzie a dark look, "left me holding it while she went to flirt with the new boy in school."

Scoffing, Lizzie tossed her locks over her shoulder. "How was I supposed to know Jed would turn out to be so Jed-like."

"You want me to stuff the turkey?" Jed inquired from his place next to Lizzie.

"Yes!" Lizzie said. Jed rolled his eyes and moved around her while Lizzie huffed before he moved out of her way. "As I was saying: This needs to be per-fect, people. No screw ups this year! This is Sebastian's first Thanksgiving at the Salvatore School. And I want him to know we do things right."

Just as the words came out of her mouth, Kaleb came into the room and grinned at them. "Ladies and Gentleman, may I present to you, the newest member of our squad, Sebastian…whatever the hell his last name is."

Sebastian came in the doorway, making the school uniform look like it had been stolen from a GQ model…and placed on another GQ model, in Lizzie's opinion. Sighing, Lizzie tipped her head to the side and admired the hotness that was her new boyfriend. "How do I look, Elizabeth?"

"Hot," Jo said, nodding in approval.

Letting out a laugh, Lizzie sent her sister a look. "I believe he was addressing me." She choked on her laughter before inhaling to calm down. "And, yes, Sebastian. You do…you look…super-hot."

Smirking, Sebastian looked at Hope. "Oh, I see you have the servants helping with our dinner." He looked to Lizzie. "Will it be done soon?"

Hope turned on Sebastian and Lizzie stepped in between the two. "Sebastian, we do not have servants. This is my friend, Hope." She moved to the side and threw an arm around Hope, squeezing the shorter girl's shoulders, and siphoning some magic, just in case.

Hope glowered at Lizzie and then Sebastian. "Besties," the tri-brid said between clenched teeth

Jo let out a snort before staring at the ceiling.

Kaleb clapped his hands together. "Well, now that is over. I guess it's time to get our hands dirty. Sebastian, you know how to peel potatoes, don't you?"

"Excuse me?" Sebastian looked mortified. "I have never had to work in a kitchen before."

"Sorry, Princess, we all work in the kitchen now," Hope snapped, turning her back on Sebastian.

"But? No servants? And men? We cook?" Sebastian looked so out of his element.

"Where is Milton?" Lizzie demanded. "He's supposed to be working on the potatoes. And Landon? Raf? Where are my menfolk?" She demanded.

"They're helping decorate," Jo pointed out. "Like you told them to." She went back to making cranberry sauce with fresh cranberries.

"Oh, right." Lizzie tapped her pen on her clipboard. She forgot that she'd sent MG, Landon, and Raf away; so she could spend some drama-free time with her girls, and Sebastian. So long as Hope and Jo did not get into it over The Walking-Talking Encyclopedia of Geekdom.

With a sigh, Lizzie looked to Sebastian. "I can help you," she told him.

Sebastian nodded. But he eyed the potato peeler with a sense of horror. When Lizzie pulled out a bag of potatoes, he sighed, and looked glumly at the vegetable she handed him. "Do you truly want me to do this?" he asked her, his eyes pleading to be let out to play.

"Would you rather decorate with the boys?" Lizzie asked him, watching Sebastian's eyes light up. "Fine. Go. Play nice."

Sebastian simply smirked back at her before he sped out of the kitchen.

"Hey, why does he get a free pass the hell out of here?" Kaleb demanded, shooting Lizzie a glare as he worked on making biscuits.

"Because he's…new." Lizzie nodded. "New people get an out."

Kaleb's eyes rounded. "Is that a joke? You want me to remind you of how many meals I have helped you with since I came here?"

Lizzie smiled at him. "And I didn't tell dad when I caught you sneaking real-human-bites off of Dead Dana, pre-dead part."

Hope let out a shocked laugh. "Oh, wow!"

Kaleb inhaled and shook his head. "I knew I should have gone home, to my crazy-ass family this year. No. I had to say I wanted to spend time with my friends."

"Isn't Kym coming this year?" Hope asked.

"Hey, pay attention to the turkey!" Lizzie snapped.

Hope rolled her eyes. "It's not like it's going anywhere," she retorted.

And no more than the words came out of Hope's mouth, than a loud squawk filled the air. "What the hell was that?" Lizzie shouted, looking around the room in horror.

"Huh?" Kaleb also looked freaked, his dark eyes widening as he took in the room. "Did someone else just hear turkey language?"

"I'm sorry, I don't speak Fowl!" Lizzie snarled.

Just as she said the words, something stood up in the turkey pan. It blinked its eyes at all of them before it ducked its head down inside the pan. "What's it doing?" Jed asked them.

Hope and Lizzie moved closer together as the pan began to edge toward the edge of the counter. Although their hands linked, Lizzie and Hope could not seem to bring themselves to perform magic as the pan fell forward, and then the ghost turkey stepped out of the pan. It turned to glare at them, sent them an ugly-sounding squawk, and then waddled away, dragging their dinner away by a leg.

"What in the name of Hens was that?" Lizzie breathed.

"Not good," Hope said.

~0~

The doors to the dining room were already open; so Sebastian did not have to open them. He wondered what it was that the boys of the school were up to. "Is this what your people consider a prank?" he inquired. He moved to peer down at one of the paper turkeys on the table.

"No. Its decoration," a boy with funny hair offered, coming down a ladder. "You know, they had decorations back in your day."

Sebastian straightened and looked down his nose at the boy with funny hair who offered him a smile. Cocking his head to the side, Sebastian sniffed the air. "What are you?" he asked, his nose wrinkling. "You don't smell like a human."

"He's not. Landon is a Phoenix," MG said, coming over to grin at the other boy.

Sebastian turned to look at MG. "Ah, my little fowl. Is this a pleasant activity for you? This decorating with these little," pausing, Sebastian picked up one of the paper turkeys and waved it in MG's face, "whatever you call them."

"Number one, I am not fowl. Number two: Stop sticking things in my face. Number three: Yes." MG straightened up and blew out his chest. "I do like decorating. It takes a real man to admit that he likes the small touches that make a holiday a holiday."

"And Lizzie likes to boss him around," another boy called from the ladder. "Landon, can you hold the ladder before I fall off and break my neck."

Sebastian walked over to the other boy and sniffed the air. "Ah. You're why the other one smells. Wolf." He offered the boy at the top of the ladder a fang-y smile.

"Fangs down!" MG called with a glare in Sebastian's direction.

Sebastian shrugged. "They are down."

"Put 'em up!" MG shouted, throwing his hands up in the air and groaning.

Sebastian retracted his fangs. "Perhaps I should return to Elizabeth and the ladies and their food preparations." His eyes drifted to the floor. He seemed to not know what to do which is exactly what he wanted the other boys to think. They were so very gullible.

"Nah. Stay," MG said. He sat down on top of a table.

Lifting his head, Sebastian grinned. "Wonderful. Let's say you tell me why it is that Elizabeth is not making all of you work in the kitchen with the rest of the ser—friends."

MG rolled his eyes. "I like to decorate."

Landon's eyes were on the ladder but the frown on his face said he had another tale to tell.

"Come tell us. You all know so much of what I've done. And I know so little of you. Elizabeth has told me that friends tell each other things. Is this correct?" Sebastian looked at the others. "I know things about Young Fowl. Sorry, I mean Milton" Shooting MG a carefree smile, he felt happy as MG shot him a death glare. Too easy.

"I'm with Jo. Josie," Landon said.

"Impeccable taste. I think Elizabeth calls them 'double dates.' Is that what they do today? Two couples go to dine together?" Sebastian could tell MG was about to lose his temper, again.

"Yeah." Landon continued frowning. "But… I don't know. I guess. Hope…"

Sebastian watched Landon's face twist. "Jo wants to have relations with Hope. The sexual kind? And this disturbs you? Are you a Puritan?"

"Am I a what?" Landon's brows drew together. "What?"

Before Sebastian could continue to prod the boy there was an odd sound coming down the hallway. "Did you know if anyone else heard that?"

"A turkey?" MG's head spun in the direction of the sound.

The wolf came down the ladder. "I don't think there's supposed to be a live turkey here."

Sebastian went to the hallway and found the turkey. It rotated its head and let out a startled sound before it ran away.

"After that Ghost Bird!" Lizzie cried, appearing from the other end of the hallway. She held a wooden spoon and looked terribly angry. Then she spotted Sebastian. "Oh, hi!" she called, smoothing her hair. "Don't worry. Dinner should be done –"

"Tomorrow," Kaleb said, popping up beside her. She turned and hit him with the spoon. "Ouch! Liz!"

Then a man in garb Sebastian had not seen in a long time, appeared. "Oh, dear," Sebastian groaned, narrowing his eyes.

"Who the hell is that?" Lizzie called out.

"A Puritan," Sebastian groaned.

"For the last time. I'm not a Puritan," Landon snapped, coming out of the dining room.

"Not you. Him," Sebastian waved a hand at the Puritan.

"Demon," the Puritan shouted. Then a whole gang of them appeared.

"Oh, look, they brought friends," Sebastian said, dropping his fangs. "Looks like dinner arrived early." He sped down the hall and grabbed at one before it slipped through his fingers. "What?"

"Ghosts! Great! There are ghosts come to haunt us on my favorite holiday!" Lizzie complained as Sebastian got up and dusted himself off from where he had a very undignified meeting with the floor.

"We'll fix this," Hope said.

"Really? How?" Lizzie demanded.

Hope looked less than certain while Sebastian tried to throttle a Puritan which kept slipping through his fingers. Then it balled a fist and hit him. Letting out a cry of shock, Sebastian made to hit his attacker back, but his hand went back through the man. "That's not fair."

"Life is not fair," MG said, grabbing Sebastian by the arm and speeding away.

~0~

A day off, or, in this case, Alaric Saltzman relished the four-day weekend he would be experiencing. Thanksgiving meant he could escape his latest job as the principal of Mystic Falls High. Time to go to the store and shop with all of the other last-minute, stressed-out-of-their-minds-patrons.

Alaric smiled as he saw a parent he knew, and then he pushed his cart in the other direction, to hide from them. He did not feel like talking about how Ryan's activities would help him gain entrance to Ivy League. Or how Julie did not mean to hit that window with a baseball.

As Alaric headed down an aisle, he almost ran into a woman who had just turned the corner. "Oh. Hey. Sorry." Holding up a hand, Alaric felt his smile freeze on his face when he made eye contact with Sheriff MacIntyre.

"Alaric?" Mac's eyes widened. "Hello. I mean…Happy Thanksgiving." Her smile was a little stiff.

Things had gone quiet on both ends after Alaric had Kaleb compel Mac into forgetting Ric's confession about the monsters that walked amongst them.

"Yes. Happy Thanksgiving," Alaric replied. He gripped the handle of the cart, trying not to run away.

Mac continued to nod. "You have plans?"

"Yes." Alaric let out a relieved laugh. Something mundane to talk about. "I plan on having dessert, with my girls. Right outside the gates of the school I used to teach in."

Pausing, Mac looked confused and then she nodded. "Because of the restraining order. Again. I am sorry about that." She looked around the aisle. "Well, I have to go pick up a frozen pie. Feed the kids."

"Well. I will see you. Around." Alaric felt very, very lame. He watched Mac start to move away.

With a sigh, Alaric set off when Mac called him back. "Do you want to come to my house?" she called out.

Turning, Alaric's brows went up. "Excuse me?"

"I'm not asking you out. Again." Mac laughed. "I just don't think anyone should be alone. Today. So, I thought you could come over. Bring the girls. We'll have pie. Then you can help with the dishes."

"Ah. I see. You just want me to do the chores." Alaric folded his arms over his chest.

"Yes. I have gutters that could use clearing, too." Mac's smile made Alaric feel a stirring that would only leave to trouble. "You in?"

"I can't turn down the invitation to clean someone's gutters, now can I?" Alaric replied with a smile.

"Good. Well, I will see you at the front of the store." Mac turned to go when a citizen came running toward her. They looked like they were in shock.

"Sheriff! There's a group outside, attacking people!" the woman said. She had some blood coming from a wound on her forehead.

"Slow down. What's happening?" Mac demanded, all business now. She did not seem to notice when Alaric came to stand beside her. "At first I thought it was part of another re-enactment. Something for Thanksgiving. But it seemed kind of off. And kind of wrong…" The woman shook her head and then placed her fingers to her wound and winced.

"Hey! Why don't you sit down?" Mac coaxed the woman to sit down on the floor and she knelt in front of the woman. "Tell me why you thought it was a re-enactment?"

Before the woman could respond, an arrow went flying past Alaric's ear. He glanced up to see a man reloading. "That's not part of a re-enactment," he said, ducking down and grabbing the injured woman. "We need to go! Now!" He, Mac, and the wounded woman hurried out of the aisle, and away from other shoppers who were also running from the shots that were now being fired. And these shots were from a gun, not a bow and arrow.

Mac shook her head. "Get her somewhere safe," she said, placing her hand inside her jacket. Of course, she had a gun. What she did not have was knowledge about whatever was out there.

"Mac, listen to me! You do not want to go out there. Not alone," Alaric said as he helped the wounded woman behind a counter. She joined a group of people who were also hiding.

"Thank you, Mr. Saltzman, but I can handle myself." Mac began to move from behind the counter when Alaric grabbed her arm. She turned her head to give him a look.

"I mean it. You don't know who these people are." Alaric wanted to tell her something she could handle. "I've lived here, a lot longer than you have. People around here can get a bit carried away with the festivities. Let me talk to them."

"Right." Mac shook her head and tugged her arm out of his hold. "Stay out of the way."

Groaning, Alaric followed her down the empty aisles. This had gotten creepy, quick. What made Alaric's eyes widen was when the freezer cases began to open and pies came flipping out of them. "What the hell?" Mac cried as the pies began to be dragged off by…pumpkins which were using their roots to make their way down the aisles. "Am I high?"

"No," Alaric said. Then he jumped at the sound of an angry turkey. It pecked at his legs and he moved out of the way as it tugged a Butterball-wrapped, eight-pounder in its wake. "That turkey is making off with a frozen turkey…" He had seen some things in his life; but this was new. And he did not like it.

Just as Alaric thought he'd lost his mind, his phone began to ring and he jerked it out of his pants. "Hello?"

"Daddy!" Josie's voice called. "We need you to come to the school. Right now."

"What's going on?" Alaric replied, in dad-mode.

"We're under attack," Josie replied.

"By Puritans," a male voice added.

"Shut up, Sebastian," MG called out.

"Whose is Sebastian?" Alaric asked.

"Doesn't matter," Josie said. "But there are dead people. Really old. Really dead. Really smelly. Dead people. And our turkey was kidnapped by a ghost turkey. Could you pick one up?"

Alaric heard the sounds of more angry gobbling coming his and Mac's way. "Maybe we should exercise a vegan option this year, honey," he said, taking Mac's arm, and propelling her away from the turkey, and toward a very angry man with an arrow pointed at them. "Honey, daddy's got to go," he said, hanging up.

~0~

Landon sat on top of the kitchen counter. "Well, I guess we haven't been killed yet. So that's a plus."

"Shut your Muppet Hole," Lizzie shot back, glaring at Landon. "This is probably Malivore, trying to drag you to the pit. Is there literally any day you can't ruin?" She sneered at him and Landon felt annoyed.

"Hey! I didn't ask for any of this!" Landon yelled back.

"Temper, temper, children," Sebastian said, glancing out the doorway. "Someone is bound to get hurt; if we don't keep an eye out for our enemies."

"Enemies?" Lizzie scoffed. "The only enemies we have are the things who are ruining this entire day. We should give the Miniature Wookie over to the Darth Troopers, and get on with the day. But, no, Hope and Jo have to go spell-hunting, trying to save that!" she pointed at Landon. "I mean, seriously! What is so special about that?"

"Toy surprise inside?" Sebastian said. He shrugged when Landon frowned at him. "MG's teaching me new things. Like how to snore in the middle of the day and drool on my new jacket."

"I'm awake!" MG shouted, sitting up in the chair he'd sat down in half an hour ago and fallen asleep in. "What's going on? Fighting the Pilgrims?"

"Not yet," Lizzie replied, a look of disdain still pointed at Landon. "But I'm sure we will be. Thanks to Landon."

"Ha! You know my name!" Landon shouted, hopping off the counter and pointing at finger at Lizzie's face.

"Oh, shut up, you…you Cousin of Play Dough!" Smiling in triumph, Lizzie let out a cry of shock when an arrow went through the window and nearly took out an eyeball. Thanks to Sebastian throwing himself on top of Lizzie; her attacker missed.

Landon could hear Lizzie let out a loud giggle before she and Sebastian stood upright. MG glared at them before muttering something about a stake and then he left the room. "I'd rather be guarding the halls with Kaleb than watching this."

Landon hated being stuck behind with Lizzie and her new boyfriend. Sebastian turned to give Landon a wide, toothy smile, and Landon gulped. "Perhaps we should all leave the kitchen," Sebastian said.

"No. I'm good here," Landon said, waving them off. "Just go. Do what ya need to do. I'll look for something to eat." Just as the last word left his mouth, an arrow went by his ear, and Landon gasped when he found Sebastian inches from Landon. The arrow was in Sebastian's hand.

"You were saying?" Sebastian inquired, twirling the arrow between his fingers.

"I'm going!" Landon said, moving in front of Sebastian.

As a group, they left the kitchen, and Landon jumped when a Puritan came down the hall with a scowl. "Demons!" he snarled at them.

"Yeah," Lizzie retorted. "Run, tell a friend. If you have any!" Her words seemed to be lost on the ghost as he went down the hallway.

"I don't think they're here for me," Landon suddenly said.

"What?" Lizzie looked shocked.

"They haven't tried to attack me. They seem to be…attacking at random," Landon thought about that and then nodded. "It seems like they want something else."

"You mean like attacking each other?" Sebastian said, before nodding at a Puritan, and another Puritan going at him. "One of those fellows is a Puritan. And one of them is a Pilgrim."

"What's the diff?" Lizzie demanded.

"The diff," Sebastian chuckled. "Puritans are hypocrites and Pilgrims are part of the Anglican Church."

"Huh?" Lizzie looked confused.

"Like when Henry wanted to marry Anne, but he was already married. So, he split from the church," Landon explained and Lizzie nodded. "Well, Puritans didn't like the parts of the Catholic church that the Pilgrims were still using. So, they started fighting each other."

"Oh. So, not about a hot woman?" Lizzie nodded in approval. "I can get behind that. Women are so often used, and then set aside. It's wrong."

"It is," Sebastian said. "Ah, look, the natives have come to join the fighting. Now, I know who had the arrows! Wait! I'll go speak with them!" He patted Lizzie's arm and hurried down the hall.

"He speaks Native American?" Lizzie whispered.

"Algonquin," Landon whispered back.

It looked like the conversation might be going okay, until Jo and Hope came down the stairs with a grimoire, and when Hope began to speak in Latin, all of the ghosts turned on her. "So, not okay!" Landon cried out. "Hey! Everyone! Our ancestors did terrible, terrible things! They didn't go to church! And they stole your land!" He shouted at the ghosts, pointing at them.

At first none of them seemed to understand. Then the Puritans and Pilgrims growled. "Oh, good, they're changing directions." One of the Powhatan asked Sebastian something before turning on Landon with murder in his eyes.

"Nice job, Landon," Lizzie said before she seemed to realize this group thought he meant her, too. "Not thanking you! Not thanking you, at all! You idiot!" she shouted, running alongside Landon. "This is the worst Thanksgiving. Ever!"

Landon had to agree with Lizzie, for once.

~0~

"Wait!" Josie Saltzman cried, holding up a hand. But it was too late. Lizzie and Landon had just disappeared. "Oh."

"That's not good," Hope breathed. She glanced at Josie whose eyes were wide and she looked like she might fall down. "You okay?"

"Yes. My boyfriend—ex-boyfriend—whatever—and my sister just disappeared. My dad is probably getting attacked, as we speak, and dinner got bird-napped!" Jo blew out a breath, shaking her head. "We have to find them before we finish the spell."

"Where would I go if I were trying to escape from a group of the undead?" Sebastian added his own commentary causing Jo to roll her eyes. "Oh, yes. I would leave. If I thought they were—oh, I don't know—planning to hunt me down and kill me."

"Seb, shut up!" MG shouted, his face contorting into a look of panic mixed with anger and worry.

Josie looked at Hope. "We're going to go out there. And see if we can track them down and use the re-balancing of nature spell to then fix this. The rest of you, please, stay here, don't get killed, and if you can, set places for dinner." Stalking down the hallway, Jo sent the Pilgrims and Puritans flying with a wave of her arm.

"Your powers are growing," Hope said, marching along beside Josie.

"Yeah. They did. They had to because one of the friends decided to try to go through themselves in the Mali Goo pit. So, someone had to protect those who were still around." Josie sent a heated look Hope's way.

Hope's mouth tightened. "Well, I'm so sorry! I thought I was saving the world! Let me remember not to bother the next time!"

"I don't even know why you're here," Jo muttered under her breath as they left the school and started for the gates.

"Josie!" Hope yelled.

Startled, Josie whirled around, expecting a monster to be about to attack them. Instead she found Hope with her hands on her hips. "Look, this won't work if we're at each other's throats. For one day can we pretend we're not into the same guy and act like the rational, responsible, ass-kicking females we are!"

For a moment, Jo said nothing and then she began to giggle. Hope stared back at Josie before she fell into a fit of giggles, too. "I'm sorry," Jo cried, trying to stop giggling. "This really is so stupid. We don't need a boyfriend to define us."

"We need turkeys and pumpkin pies, but they ran away from us," Hope half-screamed, slapping her knees.

Jo shook her head. "Okay. Okay. We really do need to find Lizzie and Landon." She shook a hand at Hope because Hope's giggles made Jo giggle more.

Then a cry came from close by. "Help!" Lizzie shouted. "The corn is coming!"

"What?" Hope's brows shot up.

"Not Children of!" Landon shouted, too.

Exchanging a look, Josie and Hope ran forward to see a stalk of corn marching toward the gate. "Seriously?" Hope breathed. A couple of a cans were hopping behind the stalks.

Jo let out a nervous giggle. "Lizzie!" she shouted.

"Over here!" Lizzie called.

Jo went out the gate, followed by Hope. They found Lizzie and Landon hiding behind a large rock until a root came out of the earth and caught hold of Lizzie's ankle. "Don't let them take me alive, Jo!" Lizzie screamed, trying to free herself as she was dragged toward the nearby woods.

Lizzie stopped moving when a knife sliced through the root and MG stood up, breathing hard. He offered Lizzie a hand which she took before getting up to dust herself off. "Thanks, Milton," she said with a smile.

MG opened his mouth to reply when a car came through the corn stalks. It stopped by the gate and Kym popped her head out. "Hey! I was just attacked by a cornucopia. What is going on in here?" she demanded, eyes wide.

"Just our new Thanksgiving tradition," Lizzie said, moving to join the rest of the group. "We're trying to get killed," she added with a frown. "Feels like a new holiday tradition."

"Lizzie, hand," Hope said, holding out a hand.

Lizzie moved to Hope's left while Jo took Hope's right hand. Together they began to chant, "_Reditio_ _usque_ _ad_ _originium_. _Reditio_ _usque_ _ad_ _originium_. _Reditio_ _usque_ _ad_ _originium_!" They shrieked.

And then the stalks of corn fell over as the Sheriff's vehicle came driving up to the gate.

Alaric hopped out of the passenger side. "Are you girls okay?" he asked, looking from Josie and Lizzie to Hope. He breathed a sigh of relief when he did not seem to see any signs of damage. "I'm sorry I couldn't make it earlier."

"We had to disarm a couple of people who took role playing a little too seriously," Sherriff Mac said with a shake of her head.

The supernatural young people traded looks of amusement with each other.

"Now, that that is over, perhaps you'd like to join us for dinner. If we can find some," Lizzie said, waving at the gate.

"Thank you, but I have to get home to my kids," Mac told them.

"Bring them with you," Lizzie said. Jo shot her sister a look but Lizzie wasn't paying attention. Typical.

~0~

Several hours later, they found that a couple of birds had been left unscathed. They might need a little washing after being dragged around in the dirt, but gravy would cover up the taste, Hope thought. Probably not, given the look on Lizzie's face as she chewed and tried not to gag.

Sebastian did not seem to mind. Although his glass of blood wine made Hope nervous as Ethan eyed it suspiciously. Yup. This trying to hide what they were thing really didn't work too well sometimes.

Catching Landon's eyes, Hope nodded at him before turning to Josie. "Can you pass the pie?"

"Sure," Josie passed the pumpkin pie and even offered Hope a knife, handle-side pointed toward her friend.

"I wonder what caused the spell," Hope whispered to Josie.

Josie shook her head. "Maybe there's a new witch in town who doesn't understand their powers."

Sebastian chuckled and waved a hand at them from across the table. Lizzie seemed to be lost in her world with Landon. Raf was busily avoiding Hope and talking to Jed about pack politics. Kaleb was keeping a close eye on MG and Kym, who were getting their flirt on. And so were Sherriff Mac and Ric. That made Hope smile. Ethan caught her eye and winked and Maya waved a pinkie finger. Yeah. There was trouble.

Jo let out a little cry of shock when a raven flew through the dining room. "Not another spell," she groaned, getting to her feet.

"Miss me, JoJo?" Penelope Park's voice made everyone look up. "Or are you thankful I'm back."

"Satan," Lizzie breathed.

Hope's brows went up. "Or an old witch who likes to play tricks," she theorized. "Just to get her girl's attention." Cupping her chin with her hand, she watched Jo make her way over to Penelope. They had food on the table, old friends and new. Hope felt they did have a number of things to be grateful for this year.

**Thank you for reading, faving, following and reviewing. **

**Happy Holiday/Week(end)! **

**-J**


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